Magicist: "It's not possible really, in the way you'd expect. Focus stones store the mechanisms to form specific magic sequences, while Alku's ability is altering magic sequences very quickly. A focus stone containing the possible bits from Alku wouldn't be very exciting, all it would allow you to do is to manually alter a magic sequence, something you can already do. Alku can just do a complete reading and alteration in a matter of seconds or faster, almost instinctively, while you might take months and need a pile of reference manuals.

It's kind of like manual casting, except she can manual cast as fast as a mage can normal cast."


I won't be harmful I promise

We're basically the same person, how can we be harmful?

Magicist: "Um, I guess? There's always the possibility that a sentient being can be harmful."

____________________


Horoma: "Let's go with a bio mage, that sounds like the better idea."

There are quite a few mages and soldiers that are nearby, looking in your direction with a bit of concern. None have approached yet, maybe they don't want to be blown up.
____________________


You continue heading east, reaching the location of where the watchtower used to be. All that's left is a large trench in the ground running towards the south, and a pitch-black hole where the tower used to be.

Looking to the south, you see a giant scaled lizard-like beast the size of a small mountain, not really like a salamander at all, angrily smashing its limbs into the ground or flattening hills with its tail. A dragon and an army of smaller dark shapes seem to be fighting something as well, but not the leviathan.

You continue east, reaching Magusalto.

The city of skyscrapers is abandoned like Teleiat - no one on the streets or catwalks.
____________________


Magicist: "Nope. The spirits produced from the Multiplier built into the Mother Incubator completely lack Alku's unique Alteration abilities. We believe that there's more to inheritance of magic than simply a mother spirit creating child spirits, possibly requiring the child spirit to remain in the actual womb. A possible link between the mother's and child's spirit that continues the mother's influence.

We have not experimented on that aspect, if you were wondering."

____________________


Horoma: "Uh, let's see."

She struggles to push herself off the ground. More porcelain cracks and falls off, especially around her legs, revealing more flesh.

Horoma: "This hurts a lot, if you can't tell. I think I have actual bones, though. And I can see in one eye?"

The bloody eyelids that cover her right socket slowly close and open, revealing a blood-covered eye with a red iris. You're... pretty sure that wasn't there after the explosion.

Horoma: "I think I might need a lift, if none of you mind."

Miimas: "Yeah, just, try not to move too much. Tota, can you pick up those pieces?"

Miimas carefully picks up Horoma in a princess-carry while Tuhota retrieves the fragments of Horoma's body.

Miimas: "So where're we going?"

____________________


Tabi: "Hm?"

The two of you take a step outside of the mill.


Tabi: "Yeah, just temporary. I think we could easily head out west, to the coast where it'd be far from the leviathan, safe. But."

She looks across the farmland, towards Nullam, and then to the east.

Tabi: "It doesn't feel right. Running away."

Another rift in space appears, a bit aways from the mill, and several of the human-sized armored creatures exit and walk over to the mill, carrying the barrels of flour and the bag of yeast back into the twilight city.

Ommel: "Heyguysfarmsdoinggreatarmoredguysarelikeslavelabourbutvoluntaryplantinglotsoftreesandcropsandokaybyeguys"

The rift quickly closes off.

Heading east, you reach the Anri, with Vranhal visible on the other side. Following the river south, the river forks off into two, with a stone bridge right above the fork.

____________________


Magicist: "Alku would be fine, but the link between Alku and the Products still growing would be lost, and their spirits would not develop properly."

Magicist: "Their spirits might be malformed and not be able to utilize magic, or could just die off and result in a spiritless Product. Past a certain point, the spirit is strong enough that it would no longer require the link.

The memories are Alku's, not all of hers, but a good chunk. Her moral sense, a few experiences, language. Enough that the Products are mentally independent by a few months after leaving the Incubator.

Though, the project is being, well, shut down, so the memory stream has been disabled. This will be the last batch of Products, with a nearly clean mental slate."

Magicist: "That's a great question! I've been asking the Spirit Magicists for a while, but they didn't want to tell me until they've 'confirmed a few important details for a complete answer.' "